This position is at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Field Organization, Southeast Area (SEA), Tropical Agriculture Research Station (TARS), Mayaguez, PR. In this position, you will support the mission of the germplasm repository to maintain, acquire, evaluate, characterize, and distribute tropical fruit, nut, and specialty crops genetic resources for research use and long-term preservation of global food security. This position is restricted to those within the local commuting area.

Duties

Independently plans, organizes, and maintains field germplasm collections for conservation and experimental use. Establishes and maintains proper conditions of irrigation, weed control, fertility, and disease and insect control for optimum plant health. Operates and maintains all aspects of the farm to include upkeep of the farm buildings and grounds and all equipment used for farm operations. Prepares appropriate reports, tables, graphs, slides and charts in preparation for publication or presentation of experiments. Trains and directs permanent, term, and temporary personnel to achieve duties. Establishes and carries out field safety and training program for all farm operations.

Requirements

• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one year probationary period, unless previously served.
• Direct Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/
• Valid State Driver's license will be required.
• Must be able to obtain Commercial Pesticide Applicators License.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including time-in-grade restrictions, specialized experience and/or education, as defined below. Time in grade: Current federal employees applying for a promotion opportunity must meet time-in-grade (TIG) requirement of 52 weeks of service at the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the position being filled Basic Requirements: Degree:agronomy; or related discipline of science that included at least 30 semester hours of course work in the basic plant sciences, including at least 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, such as those dealing with plant breeding, crop production, and soil and crop management. OR Combination of education and experience: at least 30 semester hours in the basic plant sciences, including a minimum of 15 semester hours in agronomic subjects, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education. Graduate Education: Agronomy, or one of the related disciplines or fields of science, such as plant physiology, soils, or genetics, where the curriculum or pattern of training placed major emphasis on field crops or agronomy. Graduate study in related fields, such as botany, plant pathology, and biochemistry may also be qualifying, provided it placed a sufficient amount of emphasis on agronomy. Evaluation of Education: Course work in such subjects as botany, plant taxonomy, plant physiology, plant breeding or genetics, plant ecology, plant pathology, microbiology, agronomy, or those dealing with basic soil-water-plant relationships of an agronomic or ecologic nature may be used to meet the 30-semester-hour requirement in the basic plant sciences. Agronomy courses include agronomy, field crops, field crop production or management, soil and crop management, plant breeding and development, weed control, and similar courses, including those in soils, biochemistry, plant physiology, etc., provided they dealt with principles, methods, or procedures that are applied directly in agronomic work and in the solving of agronomic problems. AND In addition to the basic requirements above, all applicants must also meet the following minimum qualification requirements: GS-09: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-09 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-07 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience maintaining detailed field and laboratory experiment records; upkeeping equipment used for farm operations; and optimizing plant health through weed, disease, or insect control. OR Education: Successful completion of two (2) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or master's equivalent graduate degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Agronomy, Horticulture, Genetics, or Pathology. OR A combination of education and specialized experience as described above. GS-11: Specialized Experience: Specialized experience is experience directly related to the position to be filled. Specialized experience must be described for each grade level advertised. The specialized experience requirements for this position are: Qualifying experience for GS-11 includes one year of specialized experience comparable to GS-09 which is directly related to the work of this position, and which has equipped the applicant with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position. For this position, specialized experience is experience maintaining field germplasm, collections for conservation, and experimental use; preparing reports, tables, graphs, slides or charts for publication or presentation of experiments; and applying agronomy techniques to maintain field plots. OR Education: Successful completion of three (3) years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, if directly related. Related degrees may include Agronomy, Horticulture, Genetics, or Pathology. OR A combination of education and specialized experience as described above. Physical Demands: Position requires long hours working in the field. Incumbent is required to help in other aspects of the project during busy times which may require extended periods of working outdoors pruning, planting, applying chemicals, collecting data, sampling, or with farm equipment during planting, harvesting, and critical data collection periods. Work Environment: Laboratory and computer work are performed in a well-controlled environment. Field work requires exposure to adverse weather conditions, pollen, dust, and noise. Field work may also lead to exposure to pesticides, but all re-entry intervals and personal protective equipment as defined by the label(s) must be followed Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

Please see above for education qualification requirement information.

Contacts

• Address Agricultural Research Service 141 Experimental Station Road Stoneville, MS 38776 US
• Name: Jared Foret
• Phone: 7032599390
• Email: [email protected]